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Comparing To Kill a Mockingbird to Its Movie Version
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On July 11, 1960 Harper Lee published her first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. To date over 40 million copies of this chart topper have been sold to the public. The story is told from a child’s point of view and how she survives the challenges of racism and growing up. To Kill a Mockingbird also illustrates that challenging the opinions of others can aid in one’s moral improvement; Jem Finch experiences the most developmental progress through expanding his moral ideas and beliefs. Coming from a strong moral figure like Atticus, Jem is expected to become a respectable young adult.
Isaiah 59:8 illustrates, "The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths. " Clearly, Scripture recognizes the existence of flaws of the behavior in man. Injustice comes in many forms. Racism, prejudice, false judgment, and stereotyping are all skewed perceptions. These distortions spill over into behaviors and human interactions, often resulting in the suffering of the innocent.
Many people say that seeing is believing, but that simply is not true, well at least not according to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The book constantly contradicts the idea that seeing is believing. Several different characters go against what is believed and observed about them, which in turn surprises other characters. To start off, one of the biggest characters that contradicts what is believed about them is Atticus. He is seen as this polite, simple man, but when a mad dog is spotted in his neighbourhood he is quick to take a rifle and shoot the dog.
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most commonly taught books in American schools. Beloved by many readers and educators as a story of moral courage, it has also been criticized for its limited portrayal of Black characters, dated treatment of racism, and promotion of a “white savior” narrative”(Facing History). One of Atticus Finch’s most famous quotes allows a deeper perspective into the harmful information throughout the book: “There’s a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep ‘em all away from you. That’s never possible”(Lee 115).
Humans live in a world where moral values are very clearly set determining what is good and what is bad. We know what scares us and how racism should be treated. Nevertheless, this was not the case back in Alabama during the 1950s. In the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee narrates the lives of the people of Maycomb, Alabama, focusing on the story of Scout and Jem Finch, and the case of a said to be rape. In this emotion filled narrative, readers learn how life was back then not only in general, but for the separate social statuses that there was.
To Kill a Mockingbird, is about a young girl named Scout, who is growing up in Maycomb County, Alabama during times of segregation. Through the eyes of this 9 year old, we get to see how different families lived and how people of different races were treated. We watch as Scout grows up and matures and how her opinions and the way she sees the community changes. In the story, there are three main themes being displayed, hypocrisy, injustice, and prejudice. According to The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary , hypocrisy means the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not confirm.
In society, there are very few people who have the unwavering dedication to stand up for what they believe. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man was convicted and accused of a crime he didn 't commit, raping a white women, which is not in anyway tolerable in society. In Harper Lee 's To Kill A Mockingbird, the author used point of view and symbolism to acknowledge how the the several social divisions which make up much of the adult world are shown to be both irrational and extremely destructive. To begin with, the short story To Kill A Mockingbird, used point of view to show how the many social divisions in the world are irrational and destructive. Scout; a first grade student at the time, was telling the story from her point of view and what had occurred from her childhood perspective.
People in To Kill a Mockingbird show their true colors, they show what their morals are. They show how their surrounding influenced their decisions. But, there are exceptions like when Atticus would not let the society sway his decision. He had a strict moral ground that he would not let society change. The others in society let others change their decisions, or let themselves get in a mob and get a mob mentality.
Harper Lee once wrote that “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what”. Moral courage means doing the right thing despite the risk of any consequences. Anyone can have moral courage, no matter who you are. Many authors often use different literary elements to develop themes in their writings. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the literary elements mood and imagery to teach her audience about doing the right thing or moral courage.
Thesis: Lee and Stevenson argue that morality comes from keeping your self-respect and holding yourself accountable to do the right thing, because sometimes you can do the right thing and have criticism for it, but that aspect of just keeping your self-respect shouldn’t affect your decision-making in whether or not you should be doing the right thing. Intro: Step into the world of Maycomb, Alabama, where the lines between right and wrong are blurred, and the question of Morality is put to the ultimate test in Harper Lee’s timeless classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is set around 1960 and explores themes like Racism and Injustice.
“Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself” (Epictetus). Circumstances, though often beyond our control, don’t shape a person’s identity or personality. This concept is rather common, manifesting in both aspects of life and in literature. For, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird it becomes apparent that circumstances don’t define a character’s morals or ethics, as expressed through the development of Jem’s morals, the community’s reaction to Tom Robinson’s death, and Atticus’s teachings on forgiveness and compassion.
Hypocrisy In To Kill a Mockingbird Hypocrisy is the "moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess." In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many instances of hypocrisy. Many people, at the time were very prejudiced against African-Americans and as a result there were many hypocrites in the Southern States. Some examples of hypocrisy and hypocrites in the book are Aunt Alexandra, Miss Gates, and Mrs. Merriweather.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is so titled because there are several characters in the story which could be consisted mockingbirds. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley do not cause any harm, they go about their business without interfering in the lives of others, and however both of them are in turn harmed by the citizens of Maycomb. Harper Lee’s novel examines the dark side of human nature and explores the ramifications of prejudice, racism and bigotry in a time when people were openly hostile to anyone they considered different and inferior. Lee tells her story to highlight the injustices of the South during a time of inequality, discrimination, where the innocent are unfairly punished. Tom Robinson a character in the novel is accused of something
“Don't trade your authenticity for approval” stated an unknown author. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird Scout is a young girl who breaks the social norm of wearing proper clothes such as dresses. In the town called Maycomb, the social norms are for whites to separate from African Americans along with women dressing a certain way and men dressing another. Those social norms don’t just exist in Maycom they are also in the real world. Ellen DeGeneres is a woman in the real world who breaks those social norms.
Breaking Social Norms In To Kill A Mockingbird In To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Lee depicts the main character Scout Finch as the primary feminist who defies social norms despite several influences in Maycomb County. Scout displays her feminist qualities throughout several occurrences in the novel. She continues to stay true to herself and fights for how she desires to act, while occasionally experimenting with her femininity.
